Hang on for a minute...we're trying to find some more stories you might like.

Email This Story

Welcome to My World

Those of you who attended ISB Tedx Youth Talks back in January were treated to a fine night of junior class brilliance which ranged from the literary motivations of Anatta Tantiwongse to the philosophical musings of Craig Dawe. However, the night was also memorable for another performance. Tana Martin and Maggie Chao’s slam poem Welcome to My World, which explored the relationship that we have with social media and technology in general, provided equal measures of insight, critical thought and inspiration to an audience that remained awestruck as the two seniors exited the stage.

The poem itself (transcript below) was inspired by the topics they have been studying in their IB Language and Literature class with Mr. Werner. “I drew from our English Language and Literature unit on media and thought about what influences people the most today,” Chao explains. “Since we are so in touch with technology nowadays, I thought it would be interesting to talk about some limitations or issues surrounding this.”

“

Every aspect of our lives seem to demand the need for technology from school work to relaxing, yet at the same time, there is a stigma regarding this generation & media.”

— Tana Martin

Martin agrees, “Every aspect of our lives seem to demand the need for technology from school work to relaxing, yet at the same time, there is a stigma regarding this generation & media. From these ideas, the slam poem developed from both Maggie & I’s interpretations of what social media means to us & our peers.”

Inspired by slam poets they seek out on YouTube, the girls enjoyed the process of collaborating to write the poem, and choreographing their movements on stage to enhance its meaning. Reflecting on the process, Martin explains, “Originally, we had planned to perform the poem as one voice but eventually stumbled upon the idea of creating a dialogue within the poem. In many regards, working as partners progressed the poem from what it would have been if only a single person has worked on it. Not only did the script develop from our collaboration, but the intonations and gestures were largely a result of trying something out and getting the other partner’s thoughts/feedback.”

Chao further explains the writing process. “When writing a slam poem, you need to consider the meter and rhythm of the words in ways that are similar to a rap song, while weaving rhymes and double entendres into it.” Among the many notable moments when this clever word play is employed, the final lines of the poem may echo the longest in terms of exploring the contradiction and addiction that many of us feel towards social media.

We don’t want to be like this.

But we hope that you “like” this.

Even though they may have had some different and complementary ideas about word choice and choreography, the essential message they were trying to convey was mutually understood very early in the process. “Our purpose of this poem is to nudge a change in the consciousness of society in terms of technology consumption,” explains Chao. “We want to encourage people not to live through their screens, but to look up and appreciate the people they are around, the food they are eating, and the opportunities they can take.”

One hopes that the example set by Martin and Chao, and the accolades they have deservedly received, serve as motivation for other aspiring poets and speakers at ISB. Martin remains characteristically humble when she says, “Knowing now that our poem has reached a greater audience, I hope change is a little more likely. [The topic of social media] has become more tangible and hopefully that leads to more discussions about what it means to us.”